Feed-box.



T. WETZELJR.l

l FEED Box. APPLICATION FILED MAY 31.1916.

1,228,727. Patented 'J une 5, 1917.

SF@ PATENT FFJIQ,

FEED-BOX.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 5, 1917.

Application led May 31, 1916. SeriaI No. 100,746.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it lrnown that I, TrinoDoRE WETZEL, J r., a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in Jthe county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Feed- Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

The' present invention relates to improvements in feed boxes, and especially those for feedingpigeons, and the object of the invention is to provide an improved feed box in which the feed will always be within reach of the pigeons, but which they can not contaminate by contact with their feet or otherwise, or waste the feed.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a broken plan view of my improved feeding box; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is a. vertical transverse section thereof.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a rectangular box open at the top. Upon the ends of this box are supported the bent over or hook-shaped ends 2 of a screen 3 forming the bottom of a feed chamber, the sides of which screen lit closely within the sides of the box, said bottom sloping upwardly from each side to a central longitudinal line, as shown at 4. The sides of the screen do not'extend to the same height as its ends, and the upper edges of said sides are bent inwardly, as shown at 5. Resting upon the inwardly bent edges 5' of the screen is the bottom 6 of a cover plate 7, the side edges of said cover plate being bent upwardly, as shown at 8, to strengthen the saine. The end edges of the cover plate are bent upwardly, as shown at 9, to a greater height than the side edges and said cover plate is formed with a central longitudinal opening 10 and with walls 11 extending longitudinally on each side of said opening to the same height as, and connected with, the upwardly bent end edges of the cover plate, the upper edges of said walls being bent outwardly, as shownrat 12. In each side of said cover plate is formed a longitudinal series of comparatively small round holes 13, through which access can be `had to the feed between the feed cover and the screen.

Resting upon the side edges of the box 1, and also upon the outwardly turned edges ,of the Walls 11, are shelves 14, extending outtheir outer' edges, downwardly extending flanges 17, which, together with the end 'walls 18 of the container 16, iit closely against, and outside of, the upper edges of the walls of the box 1. Said shelves are formed with longitudinal series of round holes 28 vertically above the holes in the cover plate respectively, but of considerably larger diameter. *The end walls 18 of the feed container are at the same distance apart throughout their whole height, but the side walls extend upwardly a short distance, as shown at 20, and then obliquely outward, as shown at 21, so that they overhang the side walls of the box 1, then vertically upward, as shown at 22. A container cover 23 fits over one-half of the upper edges of the end walls and the upper edge of one side wall and overhangs the saine a short distance. A door 24 is hinged to the upper or longitudinal edge of the container, and, when closed, overhangs the container.

To the outer edges of the shelves 14 are hinged shutters 25.

The mode of use of the feed box is as follows The door 24 having been raised, the container is filled with the grain to be fed to the pigeons. The feed drops through the narrow passage between the two short vertical portions 20 of the side walls of the container and through the lower passage between the walls 11 of the cover p late, which passage is somewhat wider than the upper passage, and on to the top of the screen where it divides, part of the feed going to each side of the central longitudinal ridge of said screen, and filling the space between the screen and the cover plate with grain up to the holes 13 in the cover plate. The pigeon stands with its head over the shelf 14 being prevented from standing on the shelf by the upwardly and obliquely extending portions 21 of the side walls of the container and thrusts its head through a hole 28 in the cover plate and is thus able to reach, through the lower hole 13 in the cover plate, the grain lying thereunder.

It will readily be seen that this arrangement prevents the pigeons contaminating the feed while the pigeon can always obtain access thereto. Should, however, it be desiredv to prevent the pigeons obtaining access to the feed, either on one or both sides of the feed box, one or both shutters are sWung upwardly and inwardly to close the holes 28 through the shelves.

The screen 3 permits any dirt which may 5 be mixed in With the grain to fall through to the bottom of the box 1. I clam:-

In a feed box, the combination of a sloping bottom to support the feed, a cover l0 plate for said feed having a series of small holes therethrough, a container communicating with the space between the bottom andthe cover plate, a shelf above, and spaced V from, said cover plate having a series of larger holes therethrough in front of, and corresponding longitudinally With, the series of holes in the cover plate, andfmeans for preventing access to said holes in the cover plate except throughI said holes in the shelf.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

THEODORE WETZEL, JR. Witnesses:

G. M. BALL,

D. B. RICHARDS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C." 

